The Best Kind Of Mission
by Ant'Dog
Summary: Naruto's been pushing himself too hard and the Godaime has just the cure for that.  A short ficlet showing that sometimes Tsunade CAN come up with a good scheme.  NaruSaku, OneShot Complete.


Disclaimer time: Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and give unto Kishimoto what is Kishimoto's. Like the rights and profits from Naruto and company.

**The Best Kind of Mission**

_(and thanks to Music! at Heaven & Earth for the title)_

_Italics_ – thoughts  
_**Bold italics**_ –Inner Sakura

Naruto was in the Hokage's office deeply involved in one of the many peaceful chats he often had with the Godaime.

"But Baa-chan, I need to keep training! I promised Sakura-chan that I'd get Sasu-"  
"I know what you promised her, brat," interrupted Tsunade. "She's not much better, training constantly to keep up with you 'because I don't want to be left behind.' "  
"But I'm not trying to leave her behind, I just need to be strong enough to –"  
"…get Sasuke back, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it so many times already." A malicious glint entered her eyes. "You know Naruto, you talk about the Uchiha so much… are you SURE it's my apprentice that you like?"

The alternating shades of red, white, and purple appearing on Naruto's face, Tsunade decided, was definitely worth the headaches dealing with him caused.

"Look brat," she continued in a kinder voice, "you'll get your chance to get him back. You'll leave with Jiraiya soon and you'll get plenty of training in then. But right now you are running yourself ragged. It is my expert medical opinion that you have not been getting enough rest. Therefore I am banning you from training until Jiraiya arrives."  
Automatically plans began to form in Naruto's head. _A handlebar mustache on her monument face definitely. Quick-dissolving laxatives for the sake. And I can bring some dice with me the next time I visit…._  
Worried by the sudden and unnatural stillness that came over the hyperactive genin, Tsunade rushed to finish her speech, "Instead I have a mission for you."  
Naruto's prank pre-planning got as far as _'…Once at the men's bath, I should be able to modify the Oiroke no Jutsu to look like Baa-chan' _before grinding to a halt at the M-word. "Mission, really? Hey, hey, so what is it, princesses to rescue? Dragons to slay?"

The busty Godaime leaned over her desk as she handed Naruto the scroll, unintentionally giving him a view most men would sell their firstborns to behold. Naruto (being Naruto) missed it completely. _Mission, mission, mission, going to do cool things and kick ass….hey, wait, the markings on it are…._ "You're giving me a stupid D-ranked mission? No way, there has to be someone else you can send on this!"  
"Yes. This is a solo mission. It requires you to escort someone to the Summer Festival starting tonight and show that person a good time. The scroll contains the details on where and when to contact your target. You are also authorized extra money for mission-related expenses. That does NOT mean splurging on 50 bowls of Ichiraku ramen."  
_Dammit,_ Naruto thought, _and there I thought something good came out of this._  
"So what made you think I'm the best choice to take someone to a festival and who am I escorting? There's no name listed here."  
"Don't worry about the client," said Tsunade dismissively, "Just be at the appointed time and place. You'll recognize your escort. Now, as for why I think you're best suited? I have three reasons." Still leaning over the desk, she held up three fingers in front of Naruto.  
"One, intelligence analysis and psychological profiles suggest that you are the ninja best suited for successful completion of this mission." While his eyes glazed over slightly at the big words, Tsunade folded one finger down. "Two, I'm keeping you busy and out of trouble." Now Tsunade had only her index finger left standing. "Three….because I said so." Her finger curled until it was locked and loaded for contact with an irritating jinchuuriki's forehead.  
Intimately familiar with the Flick of Doom ™ Naruto leapt back to protect himself, "Okay, okay! I'll do it!" Snatching the scroll from the Hokage's hand, he turned to leave the office. Tsunade called out, "Oi, brat! Visit Sugimoto's to pick out a yukata." Eyeing the blazing orange jumpsuit she amended, "Actually, just go there. They'll decide on your clothing."  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," mumbled Naruto softly, "Stupid brainless old hag."  
Not softly enough. He found himself leaving a lot faster, Tsunade's well-thrown book helping him out the door.

Once Tsunade was certain Naruto was gone, she allowed herself a few moments of self-congratulations. "I love it when a plan comes together!" she crowed, pulling out a sake bottle and saucer.  
"Honestly Tsunade-sama, you'll find any excuse to drink," chided Shizune as she walked into the office. She eyed the bottle disapprovingly but merely shook her head. There was something else she wanted to know instead. "Do you really think sending them on that mission will work?"  
"It can't possibly fail!" To emphasize the point Tsunade downed her drink with an appreciative sigh. "They needed to unwind and this mission is perfect for that! And they're good for each other. This is the perfect chance to for them to find that out."  
Shizune thought about the kid with the confident, devil-may-care grin. That grin hadn't been around much since the Valley of the End, and the boy she'd mentally adopted as her brother didn't look right without it. "I suppose you're right, they need some happiness right now," she finally admitted.  
Tsunade cackled, "Of course I'm right! Nothing could go wrong, I'd bet money on it!"  
Shizune's eyes widened dramatically. "Please don't Tsunade-sama, I'd hate to see it fail just because you made a wager on it."  
It was only Shizune's ninja-trained reflexes that allowed her to duck the thrown chair.

After getting the money for the festival, Naruto left the tower rubbing his head. He looked at the book the Hokage hit him with. _This thing is huge, there must be over a thousand pages in it. 'Things Students Are Not Allowed To Do At The Konoha Academy?' What the hell?_  
Tossing the book into a nearby garbage can, he debated stopping by Sakura's place to talk to her about the mission. Sighing, Naruto instead turned to find the clothing store. There wasn't time to talk with her and get ready. Promising himself that he'd tell Sakura-chan all about it afterwards, Naruto walked down the street idly reflecting on the awesomeness of orange yukatas decorated with bowls of ramen.

Several hours later Naruto made his way to the spot designated by the mission scroll, a gate at the far end of a bridge spanning a pond. The wind blew gently through the swaying trees, causing ripples on the lake to break up the soft moonlight reflected on its surface. Festival goers walked across the bridge talking and laughing amongst themselves quietly, reinforcing the tranquil setting. It was such a peaceful scene that even Naruto would normally stop to admire it.  
Too bad he wasn't in the mood for it. _Senile old hag, 'you'll recognize your escort,' she says. Bah! There are so many people here, how am I supposed to find her?_

"At least I hope it's a girl," muttered Naruto, shivering as he recalled Tsunade's verbal jab. Crossing the bridge towards the gate Naruto continued scowling. _I hope Baa-chan wasn't serious, I like GIRLS dammit! I like-_

"Sakura-chan?"

--------

Haruno Sakura was not having a good day. She'd been stuck trying to revive that fish for a week now and the failure had finally gotten to her. _That stupid fish with its stupid eyes looking up at me and I swear it was laughing at me and calling me 'stupid' even though it's dead... SHANNARO!! _After the Hokage caught her stabbing the fish while laughing madly, Sakura couldn't protest when Tsunade-shishou ended the lesson early.  
But ordering her to the festival as "emotional training?" And why did the training involve waiting here helping out with a stupid D-rank mission? Glaring at yet another passerby who tried to pick her up, she replayed her conversation with the Hokage in her head. _So why couldn't I invite anyone, shishou? I'm sure Ino-pig probably dragged Shikamaru to the festival already, but why do I have to wait here by myself? Even Naruto would be good company now…. _At the thought of the noisy member of Team Seven, Sakura suppressed a sigh.

"Naruto," she whispered, "you don't have to push yourself so hard now. I won't be a burden to you anymore. I shouldn't have let you make that promise, because I'm just as responsible for him as you are. We'll get him back together."  
Closing her eyes, Sakura turned to better feel the breeze on her face. _But I couldn't help it. He was so determined that day, he could have promised me the moon and I would have believed him. Naruto can be so dependable sometimes, so unstoppable, so…  
_

_**...so hot. **__Yes, so… what? _

Inner Sakura bombarded her outer self with images; Naruto standing disheveled yet victorious over Neji at the Chuunin Exams, his blue eyes sparkling even brighter after a successful mission and/or prank, the way his muscles rippled gracefully under his black mesh shirt when he took off his jacket that one time because it was getting hot…. Blushing brightly she shook her head to clear it of the images her traitorous inner self provided. Sakura had to watch for whoever Tsunade-shishou sent, not get preoccupied by orange-wearing blonds.  
Sakura tried not to think about the sheer amount of Naruto images that seemed to be hard-wired in her head. _He's my teammate, I see him almost every day. That's all it is.  
Still, he does have some really blue eyes…. _

"Sakura-chan?"

Caught off-guard, Sakura turned with a squeak to face the really blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto. He was dressed in a black yukata decorated with orange spirals. The sharp profile he cut suggested the broad shoulders his normal jacket hid, a byproduct of his relentless training. His unruly blond hair stood out even more amongst the twilight, spiky and wild much like Naruto himself. And his eyes… his cerulean eyes were open wide, letting her verify that why yes, his eyes are really that deep and blue. Sakura lost herself in those eyes full of love and awe and wonder. Face aflame, she became vaguely aware that they were staring at each other like a pair of loons. Fortunately Naruto stuttered out something about a D-rank mission, breaking the trance.

_He's the one I'm helping with the D-Rank, Tsunade-shishou? "Emotional training," my foot! _  
Sakura decided to salvage the initiative. Reaching out with her hand she closed Naruto's jaw with an audible click. Green eyes twinkling she whispered, "I guess you like what you see?" When Naruto nodded vigorously enough to almost break his neck, Sakura barely stifled a giggle.  
_Thanks, Hokage-sama._

--------

Naruto was vaguely aware that he may have stammered something to Sakura-chan. He was too busy drinking in the sight of her, perfection made flesh. Her red yukata was patterned with white flowers and tied off with an orange obi. Sakura-chan had tied her hair up, letting a lock of hair fall enticingly to one side. Naruto couldn't tell if she had makeup on, not that he thought his longtime crush had ever needed it. She was the very picture of grace and beauty, and if someone had forced Naruto to choose at that moment between Sakura-chan and… and… and that noodly stuff that he sometimes ate at that one place it wouldn't even be close.

Then she reached out and closed his mouth for him. He shivered at her touch. It wasn't fair how a single finger could do that to him! Composing himself, he tried to rally the shreds of his dignity. "Um, uh, s-so I'm supposed to escort you to the Summer Festival as my mission?"

Yes that was good, only a couple of stutters there and not too much hopeful pleading in his voice. _Kami-sama, please let it be true. I swear that I'll be nicer to Baa-chan. I won't argue with her for a full week. I'll even call her Hokage-sama if she wants!_  
Sakura drew herself up with mock formality. "Ninja Uzumaki, I place my happiness and the mission in your capable hands. Please be gentle with me."  
Naruto somehow gathered the presence of mind to offer his arm to her, trying hard to not let the possibilities in that last statement turn him into a mushy pile of goo. The pink-haired girl looped it through hers with a warm smile as they proceeded to the festival.

--------

Naruto never protested a D-rank mission ever again.

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It didn't take me very long at all to write the first half of this, but the second part... Apparently snarky humor is easier for me to do than halfway decent fluff/romance. Ah well, I hope you enjoyed anyway. C&C is always welcome, and even flames are okay as long as they're **intelligent, reasonable** flames.


End file.
